as pictured in Philadelphia magazine in 1980. To use an example that one would typically take for granted: even something as mumdane as chicken tenders at the pre-Michael Melrose were better than other places. The Melrose Diner is the third diner placed atthat location, all ordered by Richard Kubach, Sr. Someone must have noticed this, because Bobs signage highlights the proximity with the joke that dining there is a monumental experience. I was only passing through and didnt have time to stop, but the diner caught my eyemaybe it had something to do with the two giant billboards next to it? Today, it's a popular venue from early to late and celebrates every holiday big or small with gusto (and themed drinks, food, and decor). The story of Philadelphias finest French restaurant unraveled into The city's vibrant restaurant scene has grown tremendously in recent years. Center City Philadelphia has come into its own: exclusive retail, superb restaurants, imposing new skyscrapers. a jumbo dog and mashed potato heavy fishcakes served on an The diner has its own history that stretches back to the 1870s when food vendor Walter Scott in Providence, Rhode Island modifiedhis horse-drawn freight wagon into something akin to modern day food cartsand trucks seen all over Center Citya small vehiclefrom which hot meals are dispensed. The former Boulevard Dinernow called theFive Star Dineris all glass and steel and looks like a small, Reagan Era officebuilding. This article was intended to document only REAL prefabricated diners, i.e. Note that clicking the link below will block access to this site for 24 hours. The Golden Sword Diner is now a latin-themed night club. | Photo: Randy Garbin. That is, until 2008 when Bennigan's went bankrupt. The Farm & Fisherman Closed in: 2016Why wemiss it: Josh and Colleen Lawlers petite Washington Square West BYOturned outelegant farm-to-table, snout-to-tail fare they famously had no walk-in refrigeration, meaning that fresh ingredients were constantly coming into the restaurant. While a trained eye can often tell if a building was once a diner, you still need the photos to confirm it and just such a search from the comfort of my desk chair confirmed this find. Hey Friend, Before You Go.. The family also owned Alexanders restaurant in Abington up the road. . Not much left to see here except for the basic outlines of a classic 50s structure. He was the publisher and editor of Roadside Magazine and RoadsideOnline, a magazine and website that promoted its Recipe for an American Renaissance: Eat in diners. Bobsadheres very closely to the basic diner credo: Serve good food at reasonable prices in a clean and friendly atmosphere. Weinstein and his wife traveled all over the northeast checking on leads for available diners, settling on Palookas days if not hours before the dinersowner planned to bulldoze it. The OMahony diner came to Philadelphia in the 1960s from Medford, Massachusetts where it operated as Carols Diner. Glad I had that experience. In many ways, his designers improved upon the original interior that is as rare as a perfect omelette. Why we miss it: Josh and Colleen Lawler's petite Washington Square West BYO turned out elegant farm-to-table, snout-to-tail fare . Our friend came out with big news: There was a baggie of cocaine in the room. Sociologist W.E.B. At the end of the 1980s, the city was on the verge of bankruptcy. Life unfolded there. You could come out boasting that your waitress was a thirty-year veteran which is no small thing in a business known for its employee turnover. You can still find at least a half-dozen examples of their diners built between 1948 and 1954. Ace Diner on Lancaster Avenue serves a good breakfast in a clean, but heavily renovated space. However I a native Philadelphian can attest to the experience of eating in diners. In February, when Lonely Planet named Philadelphia the best U.S. travel destination for 2016, the city's tired reputation for cheesesteaks, Rocky movies, corruption, and blight-cliches of 1981 or thereabouts-seemed finally put to rest. But Taco Angelenosstraightforward, L.A.-style tacos flavorful slow-braised meats, a simple toppings bar of chopped onion, radish, cilantro and curtido, and seitan for vegetarians this is West Philly, after all filled that void. Commissary, were expanding palates throughout the region with international While the the iconic Melrose and the Mayfair, both currently owned by Michael Petrogiannis, remain, the vast majority are gone. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. Continue with Recommended Cookies. Philadelphia's culinary world has long turned heads nationwide, only to bask in the spotlight once again when the prestigious 2022 James Beard Awards named 16 local chefs and restaurants as semifinalists. The first was installed in 1935, the second in 1940, and the current structure built by Paramount Diners of Haledon, New Jersey came to Snyder Avenuein 1956. Casa Espana now serves as a nightclub. Du Bois (1868-1963) documented life in this densely packed neighborhood in his seminal 1899 study, The Philadelphia Negro. Bookers has filled the soul food void in the neighborhood with its upscale take, but theres nothing quite like enjoying a Citywide alongside a platter of top-notch fried chicken, collards, and candied yams in a dark bar withyour neighbors belting karaokein the background. Back then, these were not only the primary vectors for graffiti, but had torn and broken seats and rusted poles. Philadelphia Fish & Co. 207 Chestnut. Lots of graffiti on everything, and a general fear of walking down the street late at night. The Melrose Diner underwent a relatively light, though completely unnecessary exterior renovation in 2010. It is a true-and-tried diner. | Photo: Michael Bixler. Michael Petrogiannis got his start working in this diners kitchen. Supercade was too fresh and clean. Food was good, too! Photograph by I. George Bilyk. On the plus side, he replaced the communal booths. website lives in perpetuity. I agree that eating at a diner is more of an immersive experience in that neighborhood. Stuccoed into obscurity at Annas. People dont pick up after their dogs. Brunch: 12-3pm Dinner: 4-10pm Happy Hour: 4-6pm. It was the kind of place where if you wanted to rape a girl or light a homeless guy on fire, you could get away with it. Theres little left to see inside its cave-like interior. The diner was likely built by either OMahony or Mountain View, but, except for the terrazzo floor, youll find almost no features that would indicate pedigree. People from Vietnam settled here in the 1980s and 90s, an influx that gave rise to hybrid French bakeries such as Ba Le (606 Washington Avenue) and noodle parlours like Pho 75 (1122 Washington . by Craig LaBan. Ithelped put Girard Avenue on the citys dining radar a decade ago, and that highly affordable,Best of Philly-worthytasting menu was a crazy good deal (and just crazy good). A million dollars later, the end result today includes a craft beer shop that sells over 450 brands and a well-designed dining area that preservesthe streamlined atmosphere of the original Mountain View-manufactured diner. It's no secret that Philadelphia is a city that loves to eat. The name was Carrolls Diner (not Carols) It was the familys last name. The Oregon Diner Restaurant, 302 West Oregon Avenue, The Oregon Diner has endured at least three renovations since its installation in the 1960s. (185) None of that here in Atlanta area. Maybe Grace Kelly never dropped in for a cup and a slice of pie, and I suspect very few pairs of tasseled loafers shuffled across its terrazzo floors, thoughnot that the diner wouldnt welcome either. Weinstein likes to cite, with some justification, the dinerschicken croquettes (a long Philadelphia culinary tradition) and milk shakes, and I can whole-heartedly vouch for the croquettes. At least another great concept tookModo Mios place at 2nd and Girard: Cadence, our pick for 2018s Best Farm-to-Table Restaurant. And one that I love, at least as far as the cemetery is concerned. To order the clip clean and hi-res or to find out more visit http://www.kinolibrary.com. with snapper soup on the menu, theres no way that this newish iteration The Frazer was built in the mid-1930s. The Creed franchise is a child of the king of boxing films 1976's "Rocky" and its five sequels. South Philadelphia was ravaged by Mafia warfare, gangs invaded the slums, and the murder rate skyrocketed. Good soups and lunch. Le Bec-Fin was a French restaurant in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that first opened in 1970.Owner and founder Georges Perrier named the restaurant after the French colloquialism for "fine palate". Savoy CLOSED NOW. I suppose so. I like how Starrs designers paid loving homage to the Mad Men era by stripping away some of the diners original colonial-style trappings. Alexanders transitioned into a new concept very successfully under that same family but the Oak Lane Diner was sold. Now these places are a CVS, a Mandee, an empty lot, a soon-to-be-demolished historic relic. Contemporary Americansseem to prefer fast-casual chains (like Panera Bread) over diners, where you canget a pretty good meal for not a lot of money and you dont have to bother with aserver. Bringing the spirit of the decade to life with quintessential . While i frequent my old neighborhood diner (trolley car diner)most often, one that i really love that is always superb to me is the Four Seasons Diner on cottman Avenue. So why do I long for the old days? Until The executive vice president and co-owner of Century 21 department stores is explaining why a new Philadelphia location at 8th and Market is the logical next step for a chic discount chain that until now has stuck to New York and New Jersey. The diner offers a basic, no-frills menu. I mean, Ive been singing Phillys praises since I was a kid, but the moniker Filthadelphia (and its concomitant reputation) was so widespread, it was the first thing a new friend brought up to me when we met during my semester abroad. The vibrant restaurant scene is right up there with historical sites on the list of qualities that draw visitors to town food is a strand of culture just as important as the museums and concert halls, and chefs are the city's big celebrities. The big DeRaffele diner featured soaring folded-plate roof line, expansive plate glass windows, and a space-age interior that restaurateurs in places like New York and San Francisco spend a small fortune to recreate. More often than not, the grill goes cold and a suburban chain moves in. I sorely miss them since I live in Florida. In 1920 Cleveland had 76 hotels, serving 796,841 townspeople. Do remember the Diner on Lancaster Avenue in Bryn Mawr called the Blu Comet around late 1950s till 1972. I often say that the best way to preserve diners is to keep them viable. Twenty-four diners now operate in Philadelphia, down from 30 in 1990 when I first toured the city Weinstein topped off the whole project with a neon sign almost worthy of the Las Vegas strip, something few do anymore. . Or maybe I just miss my old neighborhood. My last visit for Sunday breakfast found the place busier than the OHare Airport at Thanksgiving, and the meals met with my partys expectations, except for the home fries. Photograph: Courtesy Vetri. To Philadelphians of a certain age, the mere mention of the word diner meant the Melrose, an attitude cemented by the diners own long-running jingle, Those who know go to the Melrose.. Frisco BBQ restaurant raises $33K for boy with rare blood cancer . February 27, 2023 endeavor air pilot contract No Comments . From international I worked as a waitress at Bobs Diner for two summers when I was home from Penn State in the early 70s. Those in the market for a Philly Surf n The fact that so few pristine examples remain should give anyone with an appreciation for aesthetic and structural quality reason enough to at least go in one and get a cup of coffee on a regular basis. Privacy Policy. Jose Garces might have had historical preservation in mind when he took | Photo: Randy Garbin. Philadelphia opens restaurants as often as Lady Gaga changes outfits. I recall the interior being quite well preserved with lots of old details; it reminded me of the pre-Michael Mayfair diner actually. The Aramingo Diner, another long-time Philly institution, became a medical office. Clip ref BF5044.Night. Turf, i.e. Somewhere under that brooding exterior is a shiny, 1950s structure. You see nothing from the outside, but walk through the door and the early 1950s Silk City in very original condition reveals itself. legendary carrot cake. But, I do remember going to lunch there with my dad and having a Liberty Bell shape burger during the bicentennial year when I was about 13. Keep up the great work! and suburbanization through the 1980s, restaurants from the 1990s into the early decades of the twenty-first century played a major role in the region's economy and signaled a . The Frazer Diner in Frazer is the only un altered Jerry O Mahony diner in existence.Built between 1929 and 1935 it was originally the Paoli but was moved to Frazer on Lancaster Ave, in 1957. Although it didn't hold up against Chili's, TGI Fridays, and Applebee's, there was a time when it was fairly ubiquitous throughout the states. In the late 1970s, the Dewey's restaurants in Philadelphia began to fold, victims to competition from national fast food chains like . Stephen Starr converted a mid-1960s Fodero diner and appropriately swanked the joint up making it one of the citys best known martini lounges. The point is, it was plenty neighborhoody. Do you have any original pictures of the diner that you would be able to share? That's what Bennigan's, an Irish-themed bar and grill, offered in the 1980s. This isnt a food review. Whether that was a sign of things to come with the celebrity chef Chifa waseventually replaced with Cuban diner Rosa Bianca, another concept that didnt take or it just opened a decade or so before its time, it would have been nice for Peruvian fare to take hold in the city back then. It took another ten years before I managed to furtively snap a shot of the diners interior. | Photo: Randy Garbin. Cherry soda before closing its doors in 1990. In part, its basic childhood nostalgia. Thank you so much for sharing a great posts. And for post-dining . Another Michael Petrogiannis diner. Kyrie Irving added 40 and . yeah, they have food but, really I just love the atmosphere and the memories of being 18 long ago. He sold it in the late 90s and there have been a few owners since then. The waitress might call you hon, not because afocus group demanded it, but because that is how she talks. A decadent four-course tasting menu is the sole dining option at James Beard award-winning . Instead, Chef and owner Kevin Sbraga invites guests to be instantly transported to the 1980s at Juniper Commons, his new restaurant on South Broad Street in Philadelphia. Not a Philadelphia native, my first visits to the Melrose in 1991 left me bewildered by the citys reverence for the restaurant. Another one i was sad to see go after only a few years of operation was Sams Diner. Just a classic Chinese restaurant menu today. Kims Korean Barbecue, 5955 North 5th Street, Asian fusion. They were like little homemade chicken cutlets rather than obviously frozen fare that are like sinkers now. Today, I can get stopped at the doors of an upscale hotel or silently ejected from a fancy boutique with an icy glare. There is alot of history to that piece of property. There is also Chung Sing, an American-chinese diner on Lancaster Avenue near Ardmore. They live on in the form of dead Yelp pages and in our memories. They were attacked in discriminatory acts, and the citys Commission on Human Relations held hearings to investigate. At the beginning of June, the City served a notice tothe owners that stated they had 30 days to either fix it or demolish it. In the case of the Broad Street Diner, they also replaced a shoddy vinyl awning that adorned the restaurantfor years. Shop on Main Street. The eggs were so-so, the homefries were lame, and the bacon was the thinnest cut Id ever seen, it was literally transparent. Often overlooked for inclusion in the Philly diner pantheon, the Dining Car on Frankford Avenue in the Northeast nevertheless continues to get plenty of love from the neighborhood, and for good reason. If anybody rememberit. All things considered, one has to appreciate Stephen Starrs imaginative updating of The Continental. Notably, the Big Greek Diner has become less and less Greek. Italian. Most entrees on the menu cost less than $15, and we felt just as welcome there as the dozens of localsaround us. 12 Restaurants That Define Philadelphia Dining. If you're a human and see this, please ignore it. Places Near Northeast Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA with 80s Night Clubs. Children playing in the Art Museum fountains in August 1973. Kids discussed open marriages in art class, and the 2000 block of Sansom Street was the bohemian center of the west-of-Broad universe, with head shops, cafes and clubs that leaked strains of poetry, jazz, disco, and the smoke of that natural plant. National retailers like Intermix and Michael Kors are coming to Walnut Street, where rents soar above the national average. Stenton Diner after rehearsals and shows at La Salle Music Theatre, eating liverwurst and Bermuda onion on a Kaiser roll way too lateoh, maybe a buttered toasted cinnamon bun and a cherry coke to wash it down. cheeky menu full of gems like sweet n pungent pork Tahiti and barbecue From the looks of things, it has also seen several makeovers, the last one happening a year ago, making any effort to detect original features futile.